Palin's Survey Markers Nonsense

Sarah Palin's political team is making the claim that those were not cross-hairs on her PAC web site. (The web page has been taken down.) Gabrielle Giffords one of the Democrats on the map. Take a look at the map and tell me if that doesn't look like cross-hairs.



Palin aide Rebecca Mansour gives a rather original explanation.

" We have nothing whatsoever to do with this," Palin aide. Rebecca Mansour told the talk radio host Tammy Bruce in an interview. "We never ever, ever intended it to be gun sights. It was simply cross-hairs like you'd see on maps," she said, suggesting that it is a "surveyor's symbol."

It seems the Palin team has worked up a talking point. Tammy Bruce delivers the same message.

"It's surveyor's symbols," the interviewer Tammy Bruce suggested. Bruce, a Palin supporter, describes herself as "a gay, pro-choice, gun owning, pro-death penalty, Tea Party Independent Conservative. " Her show is promoted as a "chick with a gun and a microphone."

This is the most unbelievable piece of bullshit spin since Justin Timberlake said "wardrobe malfunction." Even Palin doesn't believe it. Her tweet describe the map having "bullseye" icons. Case closed.



Tina Dupuy has a good op-ed on Palin's op-ed. I share Dupuy's sentiment that Palin has a First Amendment right that allows her to say what she wants. No matter how reprehensible I may find her comments. That doesn't mean Palin can just weasel out of things she says.

Sarah Palin has the courage to delete her convictions and saunter away whistling like nothing happened. All of it is legal. I agree, and I will fight for that: Sarah Palin has the right to be spineless.

Here’s the thing: Palin had an opportunity to have a “bullhorn moment.” She had the opportunity to rise to the occasion and prove all her critics wrong. She could have proven she truly is a leader. That she’s not just a capitalizing catty mean girl who can’t tell the difference between an opponent and an enemy. That she is worthy of all this presidential buzz and not just skating by on some mushy conservative platitudes and good looks. She could have come out strong and expressed regret for demonizing a member of Congress who was shot in the head with a 9mm.

Palin didn't show leadership when she fought with McCain staffers during the 2008 presidential campaign or when she quit her job as Alaska's governor. Palin is the Newt Gingrich of her generation. The only time Palin will pick up a bullhorn is when she has a new book to sell. I do not blame Palin for the murders commited in Arizone. I will hold Palin and others accountable for hateful and inciteful rhetoric.

Side note: It is interesting that Palin is sending out her people to defend her. Palin is in hiding mode. So much for true leadership.

Update: Rep. Bob Brady plans to introduce a bill to ban cross-hairs or bullseyes from... I am not exactly sure what.

"You can't threaten the president with a bullseye or a crosshair," Mr. Brady, a Democrat, said, and his measure would make it a crime to do so to a member of Congress or federal employee, as well.

Asked if he believed the map incited the gunman in Tucson, he replied, "I don't know what's in that nut's head. I would rather be safe than sorry."

He continued, "This is not a wakeup call. This is a major alarm going off. We need to be more civil with each other. We need to tone down this rhetoric."

This bill will not hold up in the courts under previous first amendment rulings. The Republicans will kill Brady's bill. This is the left-wing version of the infamous Freedom Fries legislation.

Update: Palin's people are working overtime to delete negative comments from her Facebook page.